The Hero and Her Bard Drabbles
by Miranda le Ginger
Summary: Different snapshots into the life and love of Reyn Cousland and her bard. Moments span all three DA games.
1. Chapter 1

Author's note: This is just a teensy idea I had whilst playing avidly on my copy of Inquisition. Two hundred hours in and I still have a lot of quests and operations to do; I am _loving_ it. As these are drabbles, they will not be very long and the writing will be very inconsistent. There will never be a true ending because whenever I am bored and have an idea that I do not have the time or the urge to write forever…well, it will be penned down here.

Disclaimer: I do not own Dragon Age, plan to own it, or expect to own it. In short…I'm useless. XD

Greenery, lush and vibrant, covered as far as the eye could see. Reyn was glad of the new scenery; the desert farther west was killer, especially when you wore heavy armor and equipment. The tall Warden eyed the area with a thoughtful eye, listening for any disturbance that might hail her on the wind.

Her fiery hair had grown long over the years, a far cry from the short locks she had possessed when she was still a young noble with both her parents alive and all the fine comforts nobility had granted her. Reyn had never been a fool and had trained extensively with a blade for years, but looking back now she realized how soft she had still been as a young teen.

At nearly thirty years, Reyn had changed dramatically from that time in her life when her world had turned asunder and the Grey Wardens had become her refuge. A long, thin scar marked the smooth skin of a cheek tanned from traversing in the sun too often. Her steel blue eyes had grown the light of experience, the laugh lines that would have surrounded her mouth long since vanishing. It had been too long since she had actually laughed; not since leaving Leliana and searching for the cure to her own biological clock, made shorter due to the taint swirling in her system.

Reyn sighed, a faraway look edging in blue waters. How long had it been since she had seen ginger hair a shade lighter than her own and eyes that rivaled the blue of the sky? How many years since that finely accented voice soothed her mind and soft hands banished her fears? And her song….Reyn truly missed hearing her bard sing. Leliana was a master in many forms, but music was perhaps her best and the one she derived the most joy from.

Reyn had heard faint whispers for a time about Sister Nightingale, Leliana's new pseudonym. From the way people talked, Leliana was now the foreign title. It worried the warden to hear how significant the changes were. Leliana never relished killing; deception…perhaps. But killing? It was no longer in her blood, and Reyn shuddered to think about the woman she might see when the cure was finally found. The Cousland warrior had never wanted to leave Leliana, but knew that if she left things as they were, the Calling would end their storybook romance before its time.

The weary hero meandered over to a swift moving stream, slowly sinking down gratefully on a rock warmed by the rays of the sun. The pack strapped across her shoulders alongside her shield was dropped at armored feet. Reyn mopped at her sweaty brow, eyes slowly closing as exhaustion made her moves sluggish and her head feel heavy. She had been traveling for hours now and her body demanded rest, even when her mind protested it.

In a few hours she would be at it again, moving farther and farther away from Thedas and the love of her life. But, with each step she took, she gained more of a chance at the happiness she could see with Leliana. Reyn wanted to spend the rest of her life safe with her bard, maybe even start a family. The possibilities were endless. Reyn would always be a Grey Warden; after all, they gave her the chance at not only life, but also revenge against Arl Howe for the death of her parents and friends. But, just because she was a warden did not mean she had to forego a life of content with Leliana.

_I will find a cure for the taint and avoid the Calling, and I will come back to you Leli. I swear it._


	2. Chapter 2

Author' Note: This chapter was one that I wanted to write more than any other. I love the scene with Andraste's Grace in Redcliffe (it is always the first place I give the flower to Leliana) and I wanted to add a little more emotion and depth to such a cute and sweet scene. I hope I captured the essence I was trying to make and you enjoy it as much as I did writing it.

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1 for the disclaimer. Pssss….I still don't own squat.

The battle was finally over. Redcliffe was now safe, or as safe as you could possibly be during a Blight when your Arl is in a deep sleep and cannot be awakened. But, it could have been a lot worse. Isolde and Connor both lived to see another day and few casualties amongst those in the Redcliffe Village occurred. Murdock and Teagan had the Chantry set up as a makeshift hospital at the moment for those injured and suspected everyone would fully recover. It was more than they had all hoped for.

The next step would be to travel to Denerim and hope to the Maker that Loghain's influence had not poisoned them too to the sight of the Grey Wardens. Brother Genetivi had to be found immediately; Arl Eamon's life hung in the balance. The small team would head out within a couple of hours or so. Though they were all trained in their own specializations, the battle had raged on throughout the night and into the morning. Everyone was suitably exhausted and Reyn had told them all to get what little respite they could get. Sten and Morrigan had disappeared to hopefully do just that, and Alistair was conversing with Teagan. Shepard, her Mabari, was following Reyn as usual and Leliana had caught up with the warrior and shyly asked if she could tag along on the walk.

Even though Reyn wished the woman would rest, she welcomed the sight of the beautiful woman more than she would care to admit. The two walked in silence, feet taking them towards the windmill on top of the hill overlooking Redcliffe Village. The view was spectacular and both Reyn and Leliana secretly loved that even in a time so bleak, there was still beauty to be had in the world. While Leliana stood mesmerized and looking as breathtaking as ever, Reyn's eyes fell to a bunch of beautiful little flowers growing in a clump next to the windmill. A memory tickled the back of her mind and she called it forth.

_"My mother used to give me these flowers when I was a young girl; they were the most lovely little things and she said they were her favorite. They were called Andraste's Grace and, like the name, brought peace to the both of us. Even now I can faintly remember the scent on my mother and I cling to it lest I forget her memory completely."_

Blue widened as Reyn once again focused on the flowers. Reyn was almost positive they were the flowers Leliana talked about by the description, although Reyn was not a flower person herself. Making a decision, the tall warrior edged over to the grass and maneuvered so she could get a handful of the little blue flowers. Five of them were soon clasped in her hand, and Reyn straightened up. She dearly hoped her wild guess was correct and she would not be dredging up memories the happy, ruminating way. Taking a deep breath and with palms suspiciously damp, Reyn slowly walked over to the former lay sister who had taken to scratching Shepard behind his ears.

Leliana looked up when she heard Reyn's footsteps grow closer, blue eyes curiously settling on the hand held behind the armored back.

"What do you have there?"

Reyn licked her suddenly dry lips, her mouth drier than if a desert had decided to grow in there. With her hand shaking, she presented the flowers to the woman. A light blush darkened her cheeks.

"Well…I-these are for you. I just remembered hearing you take about your mother and the flowers you always associated with her. Then when I was looking around I saw these and they sounded like the ones in your tale…so I just wanted to give them to you."

_Smooth, Reyn. That legendary Cousland charm obviously missed a generation_. The fiery-haired Grey Warden mentally facepalmed, feeling like an utter fool. She took a peek at Leliana's face only to be floored with the tears she could see shimmering in the now vivid blue eyes.

Leliana's lip was quivering slightly, a touched look adorning her face and making her look like a prophet of Andraste. Reyn was absolutely taken, whether she knew it yet or not.

"These…are Andraste's Grace. I have not seen flowers such as these in a long, long time. I had almost forgotten-" Her voice broke off, a short sniffle escaping her mouth. Obviously thinking of her mother was painful, much as when Reyn thought of her own deceased parents.

Leliana gently, reverently, took hold of the flowers and inhaled the calming scent. Her eyes closed in bliss, a single tear marking a path down her cheek. When her eyes again opened, they were lighter and filled with immeasurable joy. It made the woman look almost ethereal.

"Thank you so, so much for this. I had nearly forgotten the smell of my mother's skin and her linen, and her face was becoming fuzzy in my mind. But now…now I remember her. It is the best gift I have received in a long while."

Leliana moved forward, wrapping her arms around the warrior and burrowing her face against Reyn's neck. Blushing brightly now, hands held awkwardly at her side, Reyn allowed the hug for a few brief seconds before slowly allowing her hands to rest on Leliana's lower back tenderly. Reyn held her against her body, resting her head atop of Leliana. The bright red hair smelled almost fruity, and Reyn could not help taking in the rich smell that had admittedly been in her mind more than the stalwart warrior cared to think about. Her strong arms tightened imperceptibly around the thin waist and Leliana almost seemed to purr low in her throat at the protective hold.

Reyn felt an uncomfortable ache start to burn deep in her chest, a warmth spreading outward to all of her limbs. She felt a wave of calm wash over her and a desire to never let this perfect creature lying in her arms go. The warden had not felt this way in her entire twenty years, and did not plan to once the majority of her family was killed and her entire world came crashing down much like Ostagar fell. And yet she had been led to Leliana, a woman whose heart was the purest Reyn had ever felt. It did not matter that Leliana was not entirely truthful about her past as her actions spoke louder than her words ever could.

Here, in her arms, Reyn hoped the bard felt safe. Even though they had not known each other very long and it seemed almost juvenile to refer to…whatever this was as love, Reyn knew that no other word could ever suffice. The truth of the matter was that she was falling fast and hard for the woman she currently held and there was no way to stop the downward spiral. A few minutes later when Leliana gently untangled her body from Reyn's and kissed the warrior on her cheek, Reyn belatedly realized that if she was doomed to fall, it would be the greatest death ever.


End file.
